Our Staff

Michael Rubinoff is an Olivier and Dora Award-winning and Tony Award-nominated producer, widely regarded as Canada’s foremost champion of new musicals. As the originating producer and visionary behind the creation of Come From Away, the most successful Canadian musical in history, he has left an indelible mark on the global theatre landscape. For his groundbreaking work, he was recognized with one of Canada’s highest civilian honours, the Meritorious Service Cross. In 2011, Rubinoff founded the Canadian Music Theatre Project (CMTP), a groundbreaking incubator for the development of new musicals by both Canadian and international creators. For a decade, the CMTP fostered the development of over thirty new works including Come From Away, The Theory of Relativity and Brantwood. Rubinoff also served as Associate Dean of Visual and Performing Arts at Sheridan College, Canada’s largest post-secondary arts institution, from 2011 to 2017. Selected producing credits: The annual summer production of Come From Away in Gander,  It’s a Good Life If You Don’t Weaken, a new musical featuring songs from the catalogue of Canada’s most iconic band, The Tragically Hip, Maggie, which had its American premiere at Goodspeed Musicals in 2024, Grow, to be presented in 2026 at Montreal’s Segal Centre for the Performing Arts and in partnership with Canada’s most beloved brand Tim Hortons, The Last Timbit: A 60th Anniversary Musical. Rubinoff also produced the live capture of The Last Timbit, which was broadcast on Canada’s Crave streaming platform and received a 2025 Canadian Screen Award Nomination for Best Variety or Entertainment Special.

A dedicated cultural leader, Rubinoff has served on numerous not-for-profit boards and strategic committees. He was a member of the 2015 Governor General’s Canadian Leadership Conference, the inaugural co-chair of Canada’s National Centre for New Musicals at Theatre Aquarius and was President of the Toronto Alliance for the Performing Arts from 2013–2015. From 2017–2019, he served as a member of the Minister of Heritage’s Canadian Cultural and Creative Industries Advisory Group for the People’s Republic of China. Most recently, he contributed to Culture Connections: An Action Plan for Culture in Toronto, 2025–2035, as a member of the City of Toronto’s culture advisory panel.

Rubinoff is also a trained lawyer. He holds a Bachelor of Laws from Western University and was called to the Bar of Ontario in 2002.

Photo by Russell Druiven

Kate is a fundraiser and arts administrator who hails from Winnipeg, Manitoba and her career has taken her onstage, backstage and to the office. An Honours graduate of the University of Winnipeg’s Department of Theatre and Film, Kate has worked as Production Associate for Rainbow Stage, in both Audience and Fund Development for the Royal Winnipeg Ballet, and as Development Manager for the Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre. Additional work includes Assistant Director for Winnipeg Jewish Theatre, producer for Bravura Theatre, work with the Pantages Playhouse, and, like so many others, it all started with the Fringe.

Photo by Dahlia Katz

Paul is a Toronto based arts leader and producer. A graduate from the Toronto Metropolitan University’s Performance Production program, he began his career stage managing with Mirvish Productions, Luminato, Tarragon Theatre, Soulpepper, and The Musical Stage Company for the 2012 production of Caroline, or Change. Paul also produced multiple award-winning international productions for the Luminato Festival over his 6 seasons with the organization. For five years, Paul acted as the inaugural General Manager for the barrier-free, arts-education organization, The Artists Mentoring Youth Project (The AMY Project). He currently serves as the Managing Producer for Vita Brevis Arts, the artistic engine behind the ambitious Fall On Your Knees theatrical adaptation that toured eastern Canada in early 2023. Paul also sits on the board for Prime Mover Theatre Company and Vita Brevis Arts.

Photo by Dahlia Katz

Robert currently serves as the Director of New Musical Development for The Musical Stage Company.   

For Musical Stage: Robert directed Fun Home, Life After, The Wild Party, Falsettos, The Light In The Piazza, both productions of Caroline, or Change, as well as ReFramed, a collaboration with the Art Gallery of Ontario and You Are Here, with 1000 Islands Playhouse.

Robert recently developed and directed Jake Epstein’s Boy Falls From The Sky which played at the Royal Alexandra Theatre in Toronto and on tour, the new musical Pollyanna with Aquarius Theatre/Yonge Street Productions. 

Other directing credits include the New York premiere of Forest Boy, a new work by the Scottish writing team of Claire McKenzie and Scott Gilmor; Capriccio for Pacific Opera, The Magic Flute for Vancouver Opera; La Boheme for The Canadian Opera Company; Where Elephants Weep at the Chenla Theatre Phnom Penh; Carousel for the Galaxy Theatre in Tokyo; The Immigrant for The Harold Green Theatre and Man of La Mancha for the Stratford Festival.    

He was also the Associate Director of the Broadway production of the musical Mamma Mia and Resident Director for Hal Prince and Susan Stroman’s production of Show Boat. 

Robert wrote and performed The Real Poems at Here For Now Theatre, The Stratford Festival Forum and at the H.B. Playwrights theatre in New York. 

Robert has worked on the development of new musicals and opera in both Canada and the US for companies that include Yonge Street Theatricals, Sheridan University, The Arts Club Theatre, Vancouver Opera, The Canadian Opera Company, The O’Neill Centre, Connecticut, H.B. Studio, New York. 

Robert is on faculty at H.B. Studio in New York, Western University in London Ontario and is an Associate Artist at ArteStudio in Mexico City where he works with writers, composers and lyricists on the development of new Spanish language musicals.

Michelle is a lifelong lover of theatre with over 25 years of dynamic experience spanning both the non-profit and for-profit sectors. She has a proven track record in fostering collaborative leadership models to advance artistic vision and deepen community engagement.

Before joining The Musical Stage Company, Michelle served as Managing Director of Revenue & Strategy at Theatre Passe Muraille. Her career includes roles such as Managing Director at The Toronto Consort, as well as senior positions in marketing, development, communications, and creative departments including The Royal Conservatory of Music, The Carnegie Hall Royal Conservatory Achievement Program, The Toronto Symphony Orchestra, The Living Arts Centre, Hummingbird Centre, Rogers Centre, and The Canadian National Exhibition.

Michelle is a graduate of the National Arts Strategies/University of Pennsylvania’s Executive Program in Arts & Culture Strategy and holds an Arts Administration Diploma from Confederation College. She has also completed coursework in Theatre Technical/Production, Public Relations, Fundraising, and Organizational Behavior at Toronto Metropolitan University.

Natasha is a queer theatre artist and arts worker based in Tkaròn:to. She has an extensive background in administration, marketing, and communications. She graduated from the Theatre and Drama Studies program at Sheridan College and the University of Toronto, and is an alumni of Factory’s TEPS Acting Cohort, Nightwood Theatre’s Innovators Program, and most recently worked in marketing at Buddies in Bad Times Theatre. A few notable theatre companies she has performed with include: Pencil Kit Productions, Tarragon Theatre, Convergence Theatre, Shakespeare BASH’d, 4th Line Theatre, and fu-GEN Theatre.

Photo by Binks Headshots

Chase (he/him) is a theatre practitioner with over a decade of experience across disciplines. Holding degrees in Theatre and Writing from the University of Victoria, he has worked as an administrator, producer, writer, director, and fundraiser for companies including Pacific Opera Victoria, Blue Bridge Theatre, Atomic Vaudeville, Intrepid Theatre and the Victoria Fringe Festival, Theatre SKAM, Impulse Theatre, and most recently, Buddies in Bad Times. His writing has been presented by the rEvolver Festival, Theatre SKAM, and Impulse Theatre. Like so many theatremakers, his love for the art form started with musicals. He is delighted to be building and maintaining partnerships that will facilitate the work of The Musical Stage Company as this team continues to provide the highest level of creative support for the luminous Canadian theatremakers whose stories and songs inspire, uplift, and transport. 

Colette Richardson (she/her) is a multi-hyphenate theatre artist originally from Vancouver, BC. She recently relocated to Toronto from New York City, and holds both a Bachelors in Arts Management from the University of Toronto and a Certificate in Musical Theatre Performance from the American Musical and Dramatic Academy. Colette has worked on theatrical projects all across North America, and virtually, including founding and managing a completely remote independent theatre company that operated during the pandemic and served audiences from Alaska to Indonesia. Her current independent producing venture is Shifting Ground Collective, focusing on spotlighting emerging musical theatre artists.

Colette is particularly interested in conversations about how new technologies, systems and ways of thinking have the power to revolutionize practices, and bring the theatrical conversation into the mainstream pop-culture zeitgeist. When she’s not making theatre (which, let’s be honest, isn’t very often), Colette loves experimenting with new recipes, getting increasingly competitive about strategic board games, and mapping out the best way to beat an Escape Room. She’s always in the mood for a geeky theatre chat – so don’t hesitate to say hello!

Kate is a Toronto-based arts worker and stage manager with experience in theatre, opera, dance, and live music. Select stage management credits include Untitled Flamingo Play (rEvolver Festival), In Real Life (apprentice, The Musical Stage Company), Choreographic Works (Performance at TMU), CAEZUS (Toronto Fringe), and Orfeo: L’anima del filosofo (UofT Faculty of Music). She has worked with arts organizations such as Pride Toronto, the Dora Awards, Canada’s Music Incubator, Granville Island Theatre District, Carousel Theatre, and Gateway Theatre. She holds a BFA in Performance Production from Toronto Metropolitan University. In her downtime, you can find Kate reading, crafting, and baking for her friends and family.

A recipient of Canada’s Top 40 Under 40, Mitchell is a cultural entrepreneur and creative city builder based in Toronto.

Mitchell was the Founding Artistic Director and CEO of The Musical Stage Company – Canada’s leading not-for-profit musical theatre company. Over eighteen years, he grew the company from a start-up into an internationally respected arts institution and one of the largest independent not-for-profit theatre companies in the history of Canadian theatre. Under his leadership, the company transformed the Canadian musical theatre landscape, attracted over 30,000 patrons per year, established national and international partnerships, and received 105 Dora Award nominations, 23 Dora Awards and 19 Toronto Theatre Critics’ Awards.

Outside of The Musical Stage Company, Mitchell was the Associate Producer for the inaugural six years of Luminato, producing over 100 productions and events for one of the preeminent international arts festivals in North America. Mitchell has been the Creative Producer for the Hilary Weston Writers’ Trust Prize, the producer of the Dora Awards and a principal organizer of four years of the star-studded It’s Always Something Variety Show for Gilda’s Club Greater Toronto.

Mitchell has held teaching positions in the arts management departments at the University of Toronto and Ryerson University. As a volunteer, he has served on committees for the Philip Akin Black Shoulders Legacy Award, the Toronto Alliance for the Performing Arts, Alphabet’s Sidewalk Labs, Paul Penna DJDS, Sheridan College, Centennial College, the Canadian Musical Theatre Writers Collective, the Metcalf Foundation, and the Laidlaw Foundation.

Mitchell is the recipient of The Leonard McHardy and John Harvey Award for Outstanding Leadership in Administration, a Harold Award, and was a finalist for the Roy Thomson Hall Award from the Toronto Arts Foundation recognizing his contribution to Toronto’s musical life.

David’s activities include entertainment and real estate. Producer or Executive Producer credits include The Odyssey Theatre (Los Angeles),  Showtime Networks (Los Angeles), CBC, Cineplex, Metaphor Productions, VisionTV, Chesler/Perlmutter Productions, The Musical Stage Company and Dreamers Renegades Visionaries (all Toronto). Palais Royale, A Promise Kept, The Fantod, The Mystery of Irma Vep, Caroline, or Change, The Light in the Piazza, among others, have been nominated and/or won Gemini, Genie, Dramalogue, American Video and Dora Mavor Moore awards. He is an advisor to  Shakespearience, The Actor’s Fund , Crow’s Theatre and Solar Ship Inc. He is also a principal in Daniels Capital Group and Sustainable.TO Architecture + Building. In 2010, he received the inaugural Gilda’s Award from Gilda’s Club Greater Toronto. David lives in Toronto with his wife Kate, kids Maddie and Jasper, a dog and a fox. The fox lives in the backyard.